SALINAS &GT;&GT; One of the most contentious endorsements of the Monterey County sheriff's race was made by five people.

The 5-person board of the Monterey County Probation Association, which represents 198 Monterey County Probation Department employees, voted to endorse sheriff candidate Fred Garcia in January, according to past president Dawn Allen.

Garcia was the only candidate to speak to the board. Allen said it was not that Garcia was the only candidate allowed to speak, it was that he was the only one to reach out to the association.

Mike Richards, Steve Bernal and current sheriff Scott Miller are also running in the June 3 primary.

The endorsement became an issue last week when Garcia was forced to issue a correction press release after he mistakenly told 12,000 voters in a flier he was endorsed by the county Probation Department, which would have been illegal for the department.

After comments by Miller about the matter in the Monterey Herald, Garcia fired back with a press release accusing the sheriff of "dirty politics" and implied the probation department's chief Manuel Real was playing politics.

"Is Mr. Real using his position at the county to campaign for Scott Miller on the public dime?" Garcia wrote.

Allen distanced herself from the comments Monday morning.

"While our Probation Association, not the Probation Department, has endorsed Fred Garcia for sheriff," she said in a prepared statement, "we do not endorse any negative commentary by any candidate about each other, the Probation Department and, especially, our chief."

Allen said the association is considering changing its bylaws to allow all members — not just the board — to vote on endorsements, similar to the Monterey County Deputy Sheriff's Association.

In that association's vote in March, no candidates received approval because a majority is needed for the endorsement. Miller received the most votes with 49 out of 135 votes cast, or 36 percent of members. Garcia got 21 percent, Bernal got 16 percent and Richards received 9 percent.